Find Yourself a Kid With a Conscience and You're All Set

Yesterday we watched the Michigan-Ohio State game from my cousin Jason's house. Jason and his wife, Christina, are the proud parents of newborn twins...just seven weeks old, but born prematurely. They have only been home for two of those weeks. The boys are Quinn and Cooper, and they're amazing little wiggling bundles of miracle. It was a a bit of a chore getting Mummy to stop holding the boys, and she even took the opportunity to snap photos of the guys so that Christina and Jay have a cool, professional quality record of the boys first year.

Zed and I were playing and watching the football game when she decided to jump from the ottoman onto Mom's lap, paying little attention to the fact that Mom had Cooper in her arms. It was an abrupt shock and she just nearly missed landing on the six pound wonder. She was just as abruptly spoken to about her carelessness around the babies. She'd been talked to about being careful all morning and then, as any two year old might, she had forgotten the message. Our stern words, mostly Daddy's, upset her so much that the tears poured down her cheeks and she was fairly inconsolable for a moment or two. She tends to be hard on herself, and she doesn't handle her own mistakes or miscues with much aplomb. Being spoken to or reprimanded really upsets her.

That was yesterday, and then out of the blue today...

Zed: When we were at the baby's house and I got in trouble it was because I tried to jump onto Mummy's lap and I almost hit the baby, you said.

Daddy:That's right. Are you still thinking about that?

Zed: Yeah, I am.

Daddy:How did that make you feel Zoey?

Zed: I was embarrassed that I did that.

Embarrassed? I looked at Mummy just to make sure that she heard what I did and her eyes are full of tears. Go and find yourself a kid with a conscience if you want to be reminded how important every little thing that you say and do are.